Portable melting kettle



J. M- MOORE ETAL PORTABLE MELTING KETTLE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG-l INVENTORS JAMES M. MOORE GEORGE C. ADMAN \1. Q.; ATTORNEY June 4, 1963 Filed Jan. 11, 1960 June 4, 1963 J. M. MOORE ETAL 3,092,098

PORTABLE MELTING KETTLE Filed Jan. 11, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS JAMES M. MOORE GEORGE C. LADMAN June 4, 1953 J. M. MOORE ETAL PORTABLE MELTING KETTLE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 11, 1960 FIG -3 FIG-4 INVENTORS JAMES M. MOORE GEORGE C. LADMAN g. ATTORNEY J. M. MOORE ETAL PORTABLE MELTING KETTLE June 4, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 11, 1960 m oE ATTOR NEY United States Patent 3,092,098 PORTABLE MELTING KETTLE James M. Moore, 1125 Carlisle Ave., and George C. Ladman, 9851 Meeker Road, both of Dayton, Ohio Filed Jan. 11, 1960, Ser. No. 1,648 1 Claim. (Cl. 126-3435) This invention relates to a portable melting kettle, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements of parts herein described and claimed.

Generally there is provided a heat exchanger of shallow rectangular box shape and formed of steel plates. A combustion or blast tube extends into the front end of the heat exchanger chamber and directs the flame and hot gases therefrom against a wall of fire bricks across the rear end of the chamber. A pair of exhaust gas stacks are fixed to and rise from the front corners of the heat exchanger chamber.

The top wall of the heat exchanger chamber forms the bottom wall of the sheet metal melting kettle, the side and end walls of which are welded thereto and to each other. A hinged closure covers the top of the melting kettle. The unitary superstructure is mounted on a rectangular chassis formed of welded angle bars. The chassis is mounted on a single transverse axle to which it is connected by a pair of leaf springs. The axle mounts a pair of rubber tired wheels on its ends. The front end of the chassis has fixed thereto a forwardly extending draw bar or tongue terminating in a conventional towing hitch eye. The tongue has a vertically disposed sleeve affixed thereto to receive the supporting standard adjustably therein, for leveling the apparatus on the job.

A conventional self-firing fuel burner is mounted on the front of the apparatus with its burner aligned with the combustion tube of the heat exchanger. An adjustable thermostatic switch controls the operation of the burner and includes a thermoresponsive element located in a tube positioned to be immersed in the contents of the melting kettle adjacent the bottom thereof. A fuel tank may be supported from the front wall of the superstructure or otherwise as desired.

The walls and bottom of the superstructure are covered by a spaced jacket defining an insulating space which is filled with heat insulating material, such as loose expanded mica.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a portable melting kettle having a flat easily cleaned bottom panel.

It is another object to provide such an apparatus in which the heat exchanger is an open topped flat box, the top wall of which is the bottom wall of the melting kettle.

It is a further object to provide an apparatus of the character described in which the melting kettle and the heat exchanger are of unitary construction with a single fiat heat exchange plate forming the easily cleaned bottom of the kettle and the top wall of the heat exchanger.

It is yet another object to provide a portable melting kettle designed for quick and easy attachment and detachment of a conventional self-firing burner, thus facilitating replacement or repair of the burner.

It is the overall object of the invention to provide apparatus of the type disclosed which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and yet effective and efiicient in use.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective View of the heat exchanger proper,

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view or" the ice melting kettle assembled with the heat exchanger and the carrying chassis therefor,

FIGURE 3 is a front end view, partly broken away, of the assembled apparatus,

FIGURE 4 is a rear end view of the showing of FIG- URE 3, and

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view, partly broken away, of the disclosure of FIGURES 3 and 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the bottom or base plate of the heat exchanger. Base plate 1 has welded or otherwise fixed thereto and upstanding from the marginal portion thereof a pair of side wall panels 2. End wall panels 3 are of similar construction and attachment. A cover panel 4 of steel or other good heat conducting material is welded or otherwise aflixed to the top edges of the wall panels 2 and 3 to form :a substantially completely enclosed heat exchanger. A pair of baffle plates 5 are welded in positions shown in FIGURE 1 and serve a function that will be hereinafter described. The front corners of the cover panel 4 are cut away to provide discharge openings for the products of combustion from the heat exchanger. These openings communicate with the lower ends of the pair of upright rectangular flue members 6 which are welded or otherwise attached to the cover panel 4 at said openings.

To the base panel 1 of the heat exchanger and adjacent the far end thereof as shown in FIGURE 1, there are attached as by welding, two sets of angle bars 7 arranged in spaced parallelism between the sets thereof and oriented to simulate the capital letter W. The channel defined by the sets of angle bars 7 receive therein and hold in the orientation shown in FIGURE 1, the tire bricks 8. The fire bricks 8 define a bafiie which divides the flame from combustion tube 9 in such manner that the stream of gases are substantially equally divided to the left and to the right of the mid portion of the baflle 8, with the halves of the stream being deflected forwardly by the lateral legs of the W-shaped baflie. The combustion tube 9, which is made of any suitable material sufliciently refractory to withstand the corrosive effects of the burning gases therein, is aflixed centrally to the front wall panel 3 as by the use of brackets 10 and the sleeve 10s fixed to the wall panel 3 thereby. Sleeve 10s has mounted in radially directed threaded apertures therein a plurality of set screws 11 which are employed both to removably attached the combustion tube 9 in place and to attach the flame-directing nozzle of a conventional self-firing burner therewith.

The numeral 12 generally designates the chassis upon which the assembled heat exchange chamber and kettle are mounted for transportation of the apparatus between job sites. Chassis 12 also includes a towing draw bar or tongue 13, the front end of which is provided with an eye 13a, to serve as the female part of a conventional trailer hitch in known manner.

The draw bar 13 has welded or otherwise afiixed thereto a vertical axis sleeve 13s. Sleeve 13s slidably receives the tubular standard 14. Standard 14 is held in vertical adjustment in the sleeve 13s by the clamp 13c, whereby the chassis 12 may be adjusted for level on the job.

The chassis 12 is supported from an axle 12a in con-- ventional manner by a pair of leaf springs 12s. The ends of the axle 12a mount a pair of pneumatic tired wheels 12w.

tle 116 is partially closed by a small fixed panel 17 notched at its forward corners to surround the fines 6 and welded or otherwise fixed in the position shown in FIG- URE 2. Tubes 18 and the rod 19 together constitute a hinge which the dome shaped cover member is hingedly attached to the cover plate 17. Dome-shaped cover member 20 has its ends closed by the panels 21 (only one of which is visible in each of FIGURES 2, 3 and 4). The panel 21 adjacent the hinge 18-19 is adapted to lie flat against the upper surface of the cover panel 17 when the cover member 20 is raised to vertical position in which it is held by the panel 21 as a base. Thus the cover member 20 serves as a deflector plate or bafile to prevent hot gases issuing from the lines 6 from entering the zone in which the Worker would be standing when obtaining access to the interior of the kettle. This results in increased safety and comfort for the worker.

Cover member 20 may be provided with one or more ventilating apertures covered by swingable cover discs 22. Insulating handles 23 may also be attached to the free corners of the cover member 20 for convenience and safety in opening and closing the access opening to the kettle 1516.

A spigot 24 is mounted in an opening in the lower portion of the rear wall of the kettle for drawing oil molten material from said kettle.

A jacket generally designated 25 and formed of any suitable sheet material surrounds the side and bottom Walls of the assembled melting kettle and heat exchanger. The space between the assembled units and the jacket 25 is desirably filled with loose insulating material such as expanded mica.

A conventional self-firing fluid fuel burning unit, generally designated 26 is mounted on the front of the apparatus by any suitable means (not shown) and has its flame discharging tube anchored in alignment with the combustion tube 9 by the set screws 11, as previously described. A fuel tank 27 may be conveniently mounted above the burner 26 by being suspended from a pair of arms 28 welded or bolted to the sides of the apparatus at their upper forward extremities and extending forwardly therefrom. A pair of cradle forming straps of metal (designated 29) are welded or bolted at 30 to the front wall of the outer shell of the apparatus. Straps 29 extend down under the tank 27 and upwardly along the front face thereof and terminate in aperture/d portions 31. The apertures of portions 31 receive the bolts 32 by which said portions are fixed to the forward ends of the arms 28 (as best seen in FIGURE An adjustable thermostatically controlled switch 33 is mounted on a side of the apparatus for convenient access and is connected by the leads 34 to the burner controls. The thermoresponsive element 35 of the switch 33 is located in a tube 36 mounted in an opening in a side wall of the melting kettle adjacent the bottom of the kettle. Tube 36 is open at its outer end and is closed at its inner end to prevent loss of molten material from the kettle through the tube 36. A capillary tube 37 couples the thermoresponsive element 35 to the switch 33 for operation of the latter in known manner.

By means of the adjustable switch 33 responsive to the temperature of the contents of the melting kettle, as sensed by the thermoresponsive element 35, the burner 26 is turned on and off for shorter or longer periods of operation as needed to maintain the molten contents of the melting kettle at optimum temperature.

While but one form of the invention has been shown and described herein, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many minor modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A device of the character described comprising, a hori- Zen-tally disposed base plate, peripherally disposed side and end wall plates fixed to said base plate adjacent its marginal edges to define therewith a relatively shallow heat exchange chamber, a cover plate of good heat conducting material overlying and substantially covering said chamber and fixed marginally to the upper edges of said chamber wall plates, side and end wall panels secured to each other and to the marginal portions of said cover plate to define a melting kettle of which said cover plate forms a relatively flat and easily cleaned substantially unobstructed bottom, a combustion tube extending medially inwardly through one end of said heat exchange chamber for directing flames and burned gases longitudinally through said heat exchange chamber for heating said cover plate and thereby materials held by said melting kettle in contact therewith, bafiie structure disposed adjacent the other end of said chamber transversely of the flow path of said flames and burned gases, said baffle structure comprising fire bricks downwardly insertably mounted in channels defined by spaced parallel sets of angle bars fixed in zig-zag orientation to said base plate and simu lating in plan view the letter W for first dividing the gas and flame stream and then rearwardly deflecting the halves thereof, a pair of vertically disposed tubular flue members one positioned in each corner of said melting kettle remote from said bafile structure and extending upwardly above the top of said melting kettle, means for quickly and easily detachably mounting a self firing fuel burner to said device with its flame directing portion in alignment with said combustion tube, a relatively large closure member for movably covering a major portion of the top of said melting kettle, said closure member having at least one vent opening therein and a movable element for opening and closing said opening, a fixed relatively small cover plate covering said kettle between said flue members, said relatively large closure member being hingedly connected along one edge thereof to an adjacent edge of said relatively small cover plate and cooperating therewith to substantially completely cover said kettle when horizontally disposed, said relatively large closure member serving, when swung upwardly into open position, as a bathe to deflect fine gases away from the zone above the kettle opening for improved worker protection and comfort, a jacket surrounding and spaced from the walls and bottom of said assembled kettle and chamber, and heat insulating material substantially filling the space therebetween.

References fitted in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 56,783 Munn July 21, 1866 1,699,732 Balmat Jan. 22, 1929 2,041,359 Littleford May 19, 1936 2,076,689 Williams Apr. 13, 1937 2,160,269 J-orolemcn May 30, 1939 2,175,886 Elze Oct. 10, 1939 2,593,768 Conn Apr. 22, 1952 2,830,577 Walter Apr. 15, 1958 

